Disney Mobile’s new Family Locator service will be powered by Autodesk’s LocationLogic platform

Published: 5/17/2006

Disney Mobile has announced that it will use Autodesk software and professional services to provide the forthcoming “Family Locator” wireless location service to its customers.

Disney Mobile, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company focusing on the communications needs of families, will be using Autodesk’s “LocationLogic” platform and software applications to provide the service that allows parents to locate their children’s GPS handsets at the touch of a button and without making a call.

The “Family Locator” service is part of the Disney Mobile “Family Center” also featuring the “Family Monitor”, “Call Control”, and “Family Alert!” services that allow parents to set spending allowances and track usage of voice minutes, messages and content; determine the hours of the day and days of the week when the children can use their phones; manage with whom the kids may communicate; and prioritize important family messages. The “Family Center” services can be accessed directly from the menu of the mobile phone. The “Family Locator” service lets parents locate their children’s handsets on a map using their Disney Mobile web account or handset. Only family members under the age of 18 can be located, and only adults can locate children; persons under the age of 18 can not locate other family members. All rate plans include five location requests per month that can be shared among adults in the family. Additional location requests cost $ 0.49 each and a package including unlimited usage costs $ 12.99 per month.

According to Disney Mobile senior vice president and general manager George Grobar “[Disney Mobile] selected Autodesk for its corporate strength, software development expertise and long-standing commitment to the wireless location services marketplace”. Disney Mobile will launch its services in the USA in June 2006, as an MVNO using Sprint’s national CDMA network.